Four rounds of the Open at Royal St George's were enough to debunk five common
myths.

1. American golf is in the doldrums The United States may have gone a sixth consecutive major without a winner, but eight finishers in the top 14 hardly speaks of a dearth of talent.

Rickie Fowler outplayed Rory McIlroy over the three rounds they played together, and offered hope he might mirror McIlroy’s ascent sooner than expected. Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson and Anthony Kim enhanced their reputations in unfamiliar conditions.

Youngsters such as Gary Woodland and Webb Simpson showed glimpses of promise. And Phil Mickelson — the highest American in the world rankings and the last one to win a major — showed you write him off at your peril.

2. Golf is a young man’s game At Sandwich the old stagers did a fabulous job of proving that, when it comes to the crunch, there is still no substitute for experience.

At 42, Darren Clarke became one of the oldest first-time major winners in history. Mickelson (41), Thomas Bjorn (40), Davis Love III (47) and Miguel Ángel Jiménez (47) also struck fierce blows for the over-40s club.

Meanwhile, the ticking of the clock continues to have hardly any effect whatsoever on Tom Watson, the oldest swinger in town, and one of the most popular. At 61, he played some of his younger rivals off the course in the treacherous conditions of Saturday.

3. There are only two world-beaters from Northern Ireland The golfing landscape over the past year has been seen very much through a Northern Irish prism. But perhaps we took our eye off the most eminent Ulsterman of them all.

Darren Clarke finally has the major title to cap a distinguished career, even as we thought we had the measure of him. As he topped the leaderboard on Friday, we blithely assumed he would fall away as younger, more dynamic contenders came through. Not a bit of it.

The rise of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell was accompanied by calls to take the Open to Portrush. But it is Clarke who may give the cause the final push.

4. English golf has never been stronger Never before in the history of the world rankings had both the top two players failed to make the weekend at a major. Under the weight of expectation, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood buckled.

Both missed the cut by only a whisker, but there was still a feeling that this was not the performance of men destined for greatness. Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Justin Rose made little impression.

Instead, the top Englishman was Simon Dyson, a man not even on the original starting list for the tournament. On this evidence, England’s 15-year wait for a major winner looks set to continue for a little while longer.

5. Bad weather ruins majors Did the crowds stay away? Not really. They just ended up spending a lot more on tea and umbrellas than they had bargained for at the start of the week. Did the players turn their noses up? Not really.

Those who thrived in the conditions relished the challenge, while those who did not emerged from their ordeal better players as a result. The strong winds on Saturday virtually negated the advantage enjoyed by the bigger hitters, allowing the real craftsmen such as Tom Watson to flourish.

The squally showers on Sunday favoured players who could adapt their games and read the conditions quickly. Which is exactly as it should be.